“When you go around the Vatican as a tourist, you are actually brought into the wrong end of the Sistine Chapel,” says Vowles. “You emerge through this tiny doorway at the side of the altar ...

High above the altar in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, the halo around Jesus Christ's head in Michelangelo's famous frescoes shines with a brighter glow, thanks to a revolutionary new lighting system.

The extraordinary is everywhere in the Eternal City, and the best thing about this second Sistine Chapel is that you won’t ...

The overwhelming grandeur, scope and vision of Michelangelo’s miraculous Sistine Chapel ceiling and “The Last Judgment” frescoes transcend reason and defy human capability. Comprising more ...

And either white or black smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel are used to signify different stages in this super-secret election process. But what does each colour of the Sistine Chapel's smoke ...

There’s plenty to see here, not least the supposed relics of the Holy Crib in the Crypt of the Nativity below the high altar, but the Sistine Chapel lies to the right. Soaring columns and ...